What Parks & Recreation’s Ben Schwartz Would Look Like As Plastic Man

Fan-art has appeared online showing what it might look like if Parks and Recreation's Ben Schwartz was cast as DC's Plastic Man. While there are currently no known plans for the pliable superhero to appear in any forthcoming live-action DCEU movie or TV series, it's a popular choice with many and the image shows a great interpretation of the actor and character were it ever to happen.

Plastic Man first appeared in August 1941 as part of the Quality Comics line-up, and was created by famed cartoonist Jack Cole. Originally the character was a petty thief called Patrick "Eel" O'Brian, who gained shape-shifting and stretching powers after contact with a strange chemical liquid. Thereafter he turned his back on crime and became an unorthodox superhero. When DC acquired the rights for the Quality Comics characters in 1956, Plastic Man gradually became a part of the DC Universe. But he always remained a less-than-serious crime-fighter throughout his irregular appearances over the many years. Stories that involved him usually concentrated on slapstick and one-liners, with the hero transforming himself into wacky utensils to save the day. As well as being a one-time member of the Justice League, he's had his own comic book on several occasions and teamed-up with various major DC superheroes. He also had his own cartoon series in the 70s and often appeared in more recent DC animated shows like Batman: The Brave and the Boldand Justice League Action.

When Schwartz recently posted on his social media accounts that he would be interested in playing the character, which he compared to Stretch Armstrong, it inspired some fans to take up his cause. It also led to artist Ashin Wilfy (alternat3world) to imagine the actor in the part. Complete with the distinctive red laced costume and white-framed tinted glasses, it makes a very good case for considering Schwartz in the role. You can check out the picture below:

A post shared by Ashin Wilfy (@alternat3world) on May 16, 2018 at 11:58pm PDT

It's not the first time that the actor and comedian has used social media to try and bag himself a role. Last year he launched a campaign to try and snag a cameo on Stranger Things. Of course, he is best known for his portrayal of Jean-Ralphio Saperstein on Parks and Recreation, but he is also well known as Clyde Oberholdt in House of Lies. Schwartz also does a whole host of vocal work for shows such as BoJack Horseman and DuckTales, as well as appearing in movies such as The Walk and The Other Guys.

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While he's not as famous as some of the big-hitters in the DCEU, Plastic Man remains a popular character with writers and illustrators. An upcoming mini-series for Plastic Man has been written by Gail Simone, who is a massive fan of the stretchy sleuth. With the recent introduction of the similarly powered Ralph Dibny going down well with fans of The Flash TV series, that could be the catalyst for this character to either eventually appear in the Arrowverse or a DCEU movie. And after seeing comments from Schwartz and posts like this, maybe he could score the part after all.